Reading and writing sequential files on disk
A free, cross-platform emulator for GW-BASIC, PCjr & Tandy BASIC
Brought to you by:
robhagemans
Menu
▾
▴
Hello to all of you. Wanting to resurrect an old program that I wrote about 35 years ago, I came across some instructions for opening and writing sequential files on diskette.
There are instructions such as: OPEN "R", # 2, "xxxfile", 64 .... FIELD # 2,16 as co $, 4 as p1 $, etc.
PC-Basic on these instructions gives me error. What is the solution? I don't know what I have to say to the software to write and read sequential files.
Thank you for your kindness.
How should anybody know what the solution is? You don't say what the exact code is, nor what the exact error is.
17/5000
In this listing:
.....
......
20 OPEN "PNfile" AS #5 LEN=76
25 FIELD #5,3 AS cos$,8 AS dt$,50 AS desc$,15 AS import$
.....
......
The run command generates this warning:
Bad file number in 20
That's because you're using file#5.
The maximum file number is 3, unless you increase it in the settings.
See here https://robhagemans.github.io/pcbasic/doc/1.2/#OPEN
and here https://robhagemans.github.io/pcbasic/doc/1.2/#--max-files
Ezio, I am afraid I don't know the solution to your problem either, however you may find the solution in the online GW-BASIC User Guide here. You will also find more GW-BASIC resources here which I am sure you will find helful.
Thanks everyone for the help.
Sorry friends, I would have another problem, always connected to the first question. It is possible to increase the number of files by going to settings that should be on Library / Application Support / PCBasic. The problem arises from the fact that on my iMac I don't have the PCBasic folder where it should be. The application was installed from a dmg file and placed in the User folder. How can I change the settings? Sorry again for the inconvenience.
Thank you
The settings file should be in that place even if you install from DMG
Error
Last edit: Smithdoor 2020-04-22
Here simple way of writing to disk.
Works good for short files and simple
The downside is no filr number and keep reading .
Here simple way of writing to disk.
Works good for short files and simple
The downside is no file number and keep reading .
10 ' file writing and reading
20 '. Write to disk
30 ' File name is "test"
40 '
60 OPEN "test" FOR OUTPUT AS #3: REM ----------- open test -------
70 ' input data to write to disk
80 INPUT " write some data to file ";AB$
90 ' Data writing to disk
100 PRINT #3, " * Write file to Disk ***"
110 PRINT #3, " Notepad can be used to edit this file"
120 PRINT #3, AB$
130 PRINT #3, " ===== End of List "
135 ' writing and closing #3
140 CLOSE 3
150 PRINT "done"
160 '
170 '. * Read data from disk
175 '
178 ' To read the file from disk
180 INPUT " press enter";A$
220 OPEN "test" FOR INPUT AS #2: REM --- open file test file
230 IF EOF(2) THEN 250: REM ----- End of file then goto 5000
240 AIN$ = INPUT$(1, #2): REM ----- get data from test
250 TY$=TY$+AIN$:T=T+1
260 IF T>60 THEN 280
270 GOTO 230
280 PRINT TY$
290 TY$="":T=0:TN=TN+1
300 IF TN>1 THEN END
310 GOTO 230
This program show how use this way
Thanks for the help, I will follow the proposed scheme.
Sorry again, but wanting to get to the bottom of the question and looking for the PCBASIC.INI file, I did a test. I downloaded pcbasic-v1.2.14, PCBASIC 2.0.2 and pcbasic 15.03.1.
Well only in version 15.03.1 I found the PCBASIC.INI file in the contents of the package. Too bad that this version is not loaded from the Mac and that in the file there is no way to increase the number of files. How do I edit the .INI file?
Thank you, thank you, thank you again for your availability.
I use notepad but that is for Windows 10 64bit
But are you saying you have MAC
I use notepad but that is for Windows 10 64bit
But are you saying you have MAC
Yes, Mac 2019. PCBasic is installed in the user folder.
The last time used Apple was at store 1981
They out stock of Apple and just got the IBM with DOS 1.1 and gave a great deal
I do not know what Mac's name is for NotePad
It simple to change the PCBASIC.INI
I make a back copy be for making changes.
If make change it does not work you use backup to go back in time
OS X
~/Library/Application Support/pcbasic-2.0/PCBASIC.INI
http://robhagemans.github.io/pcbasic/doc/2.0/#settings
Thanks for the indications, I did exactly as they say in the guide and for windows it worked perfectly, while in Mac there is no installation of PCBASIC as in windows but only an app to run that does not have the configuration file.
Some programs will work without the INI file but you can add.
It does need to be in the right spot to work.
Here what the INI file looks like
**# PC-BASIC configuration file.
Edit this file to change your default settings or add presets.
Changes to this file will not affect any other users of your computer.
All lines starting with # are comments and have no effect.
Thus, to use one of the example options below, you need to remove the # at the start of the line.
[pcbasic]
Use the [pcbasic] section to specify options you want to be enabled by default.
See the documentation or run pcbasic -h for a list of available options.
for example (for version '2.0.2'):
allow-code-poke=False
aspect=4,3
border=5
caption=PC-BASIC
cas1=
choices: 1258, 437, 720, 737, 775, 806, 850, 851, 852, 853, 855, 856, 857, 858, 860, 861, 862, 863, 864, 865, 866, 868, 869, 874, 932, 934, 936, 938, 949, 950, alternativnyj, armscii8a, big5-2003, big5-hkscs, georgian-academy, georgian-ps, iransystem, iscii-as, iscii-be, iscii-de, iscii-gu, iscii-ka, iscii-ma, iscii-or, iscii-pa, iscii-ta, iscii-te, kamenicky, koi8-r, koi8-ru, koi8-u, mazovia, mik, osnovnoj, pascii, ruscii, russup3, russup4ac, russup4na, viscii
codepage=437
com1=
com2=
config=
convert= A
ctrl-c-break=True
current-device=
debug=False
dimensions=
double=False
exec=
extension=
choices: cga, cgathin, freedos, mda, olivetti, tandy1, tandy2, unifont, univga, vga
font=tandy2,univga,freedos
fullscreen=False
help=False
hide-listing=65535
hide-protected=False
input=
choices: , none, cli, text, graphical, ansi, curses, pygame, sdl2
interface=
keys=
load=
logfile=
lpt1=PRINTER:
lpt2=
lpt3=
max-files=3
max-memory=65534,4096
max-reclen=128
choices: rgb, composite, green, amber, grey, mono
monitor=rgb
mount=
mouse-clipboard=True
options=
output=
peek=
prevent-close=False
quit=False
reserved-memory=3429
resume=False
run=
choices: smooth, native, crisp
scaling=smooth
serial-buffer-size=256
shell=
soft-linefeed=False
choices: , none, beep, portaudio, interface
sound=
state=
choices: advanced, pcjr, tandy
syntax=advanced
term=
text-encoding=
choices: 40, 80
text-width=80
utf8=False
version=False
choices: vga, ega, cga, cga_old, mda, pcjr, tandy, hercules, olivetti
video=hercules
video-memory=262144
wait=False
To add presets, create a section header between brackets and put the
options you need below it, like this:
[your_preset]
border=0
You will then be able to load these options with --preset=your_preset.
If you choose the same name as a system preset, PC-BASIC will use your
options for that preset and not the system ones. This is not recommended.
****
Thanks, now I will try where to place the INI file on the Mac
I tried to insert the configuration file in several places in the Mac folders but unfortunately it does not read it and max-files remains at 3.
I will only use it in windows where it works fine.
There is one other INI file you change.I can till where on Windows 10 only.MAC has this INI file in PCBasic In Window is in User files.If you make mistake here you may need reinstall.
FYI I will make changes here myself, I also make changes in my Reg on computer too and had to reinstall Windows.
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
On Sun, Apr 26, 2020 at 1:23 AM, Ezio Pagliarinogigigenio@users.sourceforge.net wrote:
I tried to insert the configuration file in several places in the Mac folders but unfortunately it does not read it and max-files remains at 3.
I will only use it in windows where it works fine.
Reading and writing sequential files on disk
Sent from sourceforge.net because you indicated interest in https://sourceforge.net/p/pcbasic/discussion/general/
To unsubscribe from further messages, please visit https://sourceforge.net/auth/subscriptions/
thanks
PC-BASIC automatically generates the PC-BASIC.INI file on the first time it is run, if it is not already there, so there is no need to place it yourself. It is always in the location specified in the documentation and earlier in this thread - whether you run from DMG or in the user folder or somewhere else.
There are no settings files for PC-BASIC in other locations and there are no settings for PC-BASIC in the registry. If you edit other files or the registry then you are changing settings for other programs and/or for your operating system. You may well damage something but you will not change PC-BASIC's behaviour this way.
The location of the settings file is specified clearly in the documentation. Please just try and locate this file by specifying the folder address in Finder (using Go > Go To Folder). Then you can edit the INI file in TextEdit.
The DNG is the standard way to run on a Mac and I have tested this, so I am quite certain it works if you follow the documentation.
https://robhagemans.github.io/pcbasic/doc/1.2/#settings
Note in particular the tilde (
~) in front. It is important, this means the address is under your home directory. If you paste the full address as shown including the tilde it will work. If you omit the tilde it is a different location under the root directory, and it will not work.